Buzz

The community has good things to say about Chromaphone. Here are some excerpts…

Extremely flexible and powerful

The math behind this is very complex, but Applied Acoustics Systems has done an amazing job of completely hiding the complexity to create an extremely flexible and powerful instrument that's both fun and easy to use—and that’s quite a feat!

Great sounding, easy-to-use

A great sounding, easy-to-use physical modeling instrument.

Chromaphone 2 is another of Applied Acoustic’s great sorties into physical modeling. The streamlined user interface invites experimentation, all while providing authentic-sounding percussion instruments.

Brilliant

Formidable

There are significant advantages of physical modeling versus that of using a sample library—manipulating the sound at its source, low memory and disk footprints, significantly smoother dynamics, and faster load times.

Overall, Chromaphone 2 is a substantial upgrade from its predecessor—AAS has created an even more formidable offering in the field of acoustically modeled synthesis. I highly recommend this to producers who are looking to emulate real organic instruments in the box, and those who seek to layer acoustic (or user-made hybrid) instruments with others to create more lush and sonically distinct productions.

Alive! Dynamic! Real!—9.5/10

Chromaphone 2 is a joy to launch. Don’t expect synth to be a one-trick-pony bell-like mallet machine; it’s capable of just about anything, either straight out of the box or with a touch of processing. A few words that come to mind—besides clarity: Alive! Dynamic! Real! I highly recommend this fine software synth to any electronic musician, producer, sound designer, etc., regardless of genre! Tommy Zai gives this new version of Chromaphone an extra thumb up! Great job Applied Acoustics Systems. You are creating a clear path to the future of sound.

Novel and clever

Amazing variety of timbres

It creates an amazing variety of timbres: anything from the tiny plink of a short, taut string to the massive roar of a giant detuned gong, and all points in between. It's hard to think of another software instrument which is quite so versatile.

Crystal clear beauty

MusicTech Excellence award—10/10

The depth and roundness of the more percussive categories is incredible, and because all of the sounds are completely synthesized without samples or wavetables you won't get any machine-gun effects during fast rolls and so on.